2_Chicago Bears2

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was a shock. Far from being the typical tough Bears defense their
fans have become used to, the Bears became one of the league’s
worst teams at stopping the run, rushing the quarterback, and
making tackles in the open field. A combination of age, injuries,
and ineffectiveness left the Bears vulnerable to just about every
team they faced.
The problems started at the defensive tackle position, where
injuries to Henry Melton and Stephen Paea forced Chicago to
both play unproven reserves and force defensive ends out of
position on the inside. When linebackers D.J. Williams and Lance
Briggs were injured along with cornerback Charles Tillman,
things just fell apart. Rookie linebacker Jon Bostic was asked to
do far too much as running backs consistently leaked into the
secondary and the line failed to get a consistent pass rush going.
The Bears addressed their sudden defensive woes
aggressively in the offseason, particularly along the defensive
line. They signed high-profile free agents Lamarr Houston and
Jared Allen to big contracts to start at the two defensive end
spots, then used two of their top three draft picks on defensive
tackles Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton. Those players will replace
departed free agents Julius Peppers and Melton. The team will
also get Williams, Briggs, and Tillman back, although concerns
about age still linger for those players and the 32-year-old Allen.
With new talent bolstering the defensive line and better
injury luck, the Bears should avoid having the disastrous
defense that undermined their sudden offensive improvement
last season. At the same time, age is still a concern and the new
players will have to figure out how to play together quickly.
Expect an improved Chicago defense in 2014, but don’t expect
a defense that inspires memories of Butkus, Singletary, or
Urlacher either.
Defensive Player to Watch
A lot of attention has been paid to Chicago’s signing of elite
pass-rushing defensive end Jared Allen, and rightly so. Allen
is perennially one of the league leaders in sacks. However, the
more important free-agent signing at defensive end might
be Houston. Houston has quietly been one of the top players
on Oakland in recent years. While he doesn’t produce huge
sacks totals, he’s established himself as a player who can rush
the quarterback, stop the run, and command attention from
opposing offensive lines.
On a defense that struggled in all phases of the game last year,
the Bears sorely needed a well-rounded lineman who could do a
little bit of everything. With Lamarr Houston, they’ve acquired a
player they’re counting on to do just that.
Bears Special Teams
After an eight-year stint as one of the top return men of all
time, the dynamic Devin Hester has departed in free agency to
Atlanta. In his place, Michael Ford is set to return kickoffs while
Eric Weems will handle punt returns. Ford ranked second in
the SEC in kickoff returns in 2012 and signed with Chicago as an
undrafted free agent last year. Weems returned punts for the
Falcons from 2009 to 2011, averaging 10.6 yards per return and
scoring one touchdown in that time.
Punter Adam Podlesh is also gone in free agency. The
Bears replaced
him by drafting
6-4, 220-pound
Pat O’Donnell in
the sixth round.
O’Donnell earned
some attention by
performing well
in combine drills
and looks more
like a safety than
a punter. The one
key special teams member returning for Chicago is kicker Robbie
Gould, who has been one of the most consistent kickers in the
league for nearly a decade.
Prediction
The Bears will be a better team in 2014 with significant
improvement on defense outweighing an expected regression
on offense. However, the defense as a whole is still a concern.
Expect the Bears to win eight to nine games and end up needing
some help to make it as a wild card playoff team in the NFC.
SCOREBOARD
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
PLAYOFF FINISH --- --- --- CF ---
REGULAR SEASON W-L 8-8 10-6 8-8 11-5 7-9
POINTS PER GAME 27.8 23.4 22.1 20.9 20.4
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME 29.9 17.3 21.3 17.9 23.4
YARDS PER GAME 382 311 314 289 310
YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME 395 316 350 314 338
TURNOVERS 23 24 29 31 34
TAKEAWAYS 28 44 31 35 28
Key Additions:
DE Jared Allen, DE Lamarr Houston, S Ryan Mundy, DE Willie Young
Key Subtractions:
KR Devin Hester, QB Josh McCown, DT Henry Melton, DE Julius
Peppers
Rookies:
CB Kyle Fuller, DT Ego Ferguson, DT Will Sutton, RB Ka’Deem Carey, S
Brock Vereen, QB David Fales, P Pat O’Donnell, OT Charles Leno Jr.
Brandon Marshall
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